Opener for strip-type can



Sept. 17, 1957 w. HUDMAN OPENER-FOR STRIP-TYPE CAN Filed March 22. 1954- INVENTOR. WESLEY HUDMAN 2,806,627 Patented Sep 1 2,806,627 OPENER FOR STRIP-TYPE CAN Wesley Hudman, Los Angeles, Calif. Application March 22, 1954, Serial No. 417,578 2 Claims. (Cl; 220-52) Generally speaking, the present invention relates to an improved can opener. More particularly, it relates to an improved can opener adapted for use in opening a can of the type which is sealed by the junction of a can sealing strip with the wall of the can in a manner whereby the application of force will tear the junction (or plurality of junctions) of the can sealing strip and the can wall to effectively open the can. The present invention is adapted for use in grasping the free engageable end of such a can sealing strip and winding it around a spindle in a substantially planar manner, and is provided with means for easily disengaging the Wound fastening strip from the spindle after the can opening operation is completed.

At the present time, a great many cans of the sealed type adapted to contain perishable food or other means therein, are sealed by means of a narrow circumferential United States Patent (or peripheral) sealing strip lying in a horizontal plane near either the top or the bottom edge of a can. Said sealing strip is usually defined by weakened edge junctions with the adjacent portions of the can walls whereby the application of sufiicient force to the sealing strip will cause it to be forcibly torn out of sealing relationship with respect to the can wall, to effectively open the can.

The application of the necessary force to accomplish this operation is usually provided by engaging a slotted key with a free engageable end of the can sealing strip and rotating the key to wind the strip therearound, thus applying sufiicient force to tear the weak tearable junction (or junctions) of the can sealing strip and the can wall.

It will be understood, that at the conclusion can opening operation, the sealing strip is wound around the key and both the wound sealing strip and the key are usually thrown away. This is so for several reasons. First, it would be necessary to completely unwind the strip from the key in order to disengage them. Second, the edges of the can sealing strip are usually very sharp and it is undesirable to bring the hands of a user of the device into contact with said sharp edges because of the likelihood of injury. Therefore, as hereinbefore stated, each key is usually utilized for one can opening operation, only. This necessitates a new key for each new can to be opened, and is usually provided for by placing a key in removable association with each can, before placing the cans on sale to the ultimate consumer.

This is undesirable for several reasons. First, because the keys frequently become disassociated from the cans and lost, and also because of the additional expense involved.

Another disadvantage of such prior art arrangements is the fact that no means is provided for guiding the winding operation of the can sealing strip around the key. Frequently, this does not occur in a planar mannerin other words portions of the Wound strip become displaced from the remainder thereof. This seriously interferes with the can opening operation and, in some cases, may substantially entirely prevent it. Also, in an base means.

attempt to straighten-out the wound strip, the operator of the device may very easily cut his fingers.

Generally speaking, the improved can opener of the present invention includes spindle means normally substantially vertically carried in substantially vertical aperture means in base means (usually, in a vertically spacedly bifurcated portion of said base means) and provided with actuating handle means adjacent the top thereof for rotating said spindle means. Said spindle means is provided with an open-ended longitudinal (usually, vertically oriented) slot means adjacent the bottom end thereof which is adapted to removably engage a free engaging end of a can sealing strip normally laterally arranged around the periphery of a can, whereby the handle means can be forcibly rotated to remove the sealing strip from the can sealed thereby, while simultaneously, winding said sealing strip around said spindle in a substantially, planar manner, and whereby, said sealing strip can be removed from engagement with said spindle means (and said open-ended slot means therein) by relative longitudinal movement of the spindle means with respect to the strip means and/ or with respect to the Also, at least one side of said base means may be provided with eifectively curvedly oriented (usually, substantially circularly curvedly oriented) engaging guide means positioned at spaced points along said side of said base means for effective slidable cooperation with respect to thecurved projecting edge of a can, whereby the substantially vertical spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to the lateral sealing strip and will effectively wind said sealing strip on the spindle means during the can opening operation in a spiral lying in a substantially horizontal plane.

In one preferred generic form of the present invention, said base means may be provided with a second side having a second set of effectively curvedly oriented (usually, substantially circularly curvedly oriented) engaging guide means positioned at spaced points along said second side of said base means for effective spiral cooperation with respect to the curved projecting edge of a second can (which is usually of a different size from the first can mentioned above), whereby the substantially vertical spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to the lateral sealing strip and will effectively wind said sealing strip on the spindle means during the can opening operation in a spiral lying in a substantially horizontal plane.

In one preferred generic form of the present invention, the base means may be provided with a bifurcated portion at the top of the center region thereof, said bifurcated portion carrying in vertically spaced alignment, the aperture means mounting the spindle means. This form of the invention may also include stop means effectively cooperable with respect to the spindle means and said bifurcated portion of said base means to effectively limit relative vertical movement therebetween.

Also, in one preferred form of the present invention, wall mounting means may be included to effectively mount (in certain cases, selectively extendably and/or retractably mount) the improved can opener of the present invention with respect to a wall, or the like.

From the above description of the basic and several preferred generic forms of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, that substantially all of the hereinabove-mentioned prior art disadvantages are substantially entirely eliminated and overcome in and through the use of the present invention.

For example, the present invention can be used repeatedly to open any desired number of cans of the strip sealing-type. Therefore, the prior art requirement of one can opening key in association with each can, is completely eliminated.

After the completion of a can opening operation, the can sealing strip wound around the spindle means can be effectively removed from the spindle means without any unwinding of the strip and by a simple longitudinal movement of the spindle means through the medium of the handle means. Thus, the strip need never be handled, and all likelihood of cutting the fingers is eliminated.

Furthermore, the base means and the engaging guide means effectively cause the sealing strip to be wound on the spindle, during the can opening operation, in a spiral substantially planar manner thus eliminating all prior art disadvantages comprising loss of can opening force and the likelihood of cutting the fingers in an attempt to straighten the wound strip.

Furthermore, the device of the present invention supplies substantially greater can opening torque, thus mak ing it possible for a small woman or a child to easily and rapidly open such a can.

Also, one preferred form of the invention provides extremely convenient wall mounting means (which in certain forms, may comprise selectively extendable or retractable wall mounting means) to facilitate the use of the can opener of the present invention.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved can opener adapted for use in opening a can of the strip-sealed type, and to do so in a manner allowing the easy disengage ment of the wound sealing strip from the can opening device after the completion of the can opening operation, whereby the device will be ready for subsequent can opening use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved can opener of the type set forth in preceding object, which is provided with means adapted to cause the wound sealing strip produced by the can opening operation to be of a substantially planar type, whereby to overcome the disadvantages of prior art nonplanar can opening, sealing strip removing operations.

It is a further object of the present invention, to provide an improved can opener of the type set forth in either or both of the preceding objects, which is additionally provided with novel wall mounting means (which, in one form, may comprise effectively extendable and attractive wall mounting means) adapted to mount the can opener on a selected wall or any other vertical surface.

Other and allied objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful perusal, examination and study of the accompanying illustrations, the present specification and the appended claims.

To facilitate understanding, reference will be made to the hereinbelow-described drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of one illustrative embodiment of the present invention shown with the engaging guide means arranged in slidable cooperation with respect to the projecting upper edge of a can (shown broken away). This view also shows a can sealing strip in partially removed relationship with respect to a can which had been sealed thereby, and shows the spindle means moved into upper disengaged position with respect to the wound portion of the can sealing strip which has been removed from sealing relationship with respect to the can. It should be understood, that, in reality, the spindle means would ordinarily not be disengaged from the can sealing strip until after it has been completely removed from the can. However, the spindle means is shown in disengaged relationship with respect to the can sealing strip before the can sealin strip has been completely removed from the can, for reasons of clarity.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 with the engaging guide means in slidable cooperation with the projecting upper edge of a can and with the spindle means in downward position engaging the free end of a can sealing strip for the purpose of beginning a can opening operation.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows III-III in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the device of the present invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of one form of the present invention carried by one specific embodiment of the wall mounting means of the present invention.

Generally speaking, the present invention includes spindle means (normally, substantially vertically oriented) provided with actuating handle means (usually, at the top thereof) for rotating said spindle means. Said spindle means being also provided with open-ended slot means longitudinally carried thereby (usually, substantially vertically oriented) at the bottom thereof and adapted to removably engage a free engaging end of a can sealing slip.

Also, generally speaking, base means may be provided with substantially vertical aperture means adapted to mount the spindle means substantially vertically for rotary movement and for limited substantially vertical movement.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated, the base means is indicated generally at l, and comprises a longitudinal flat member 2 having a centrally positioned upstanding bifurcated portion, indicated generally at 3, and comprising an upstanding arm 4 provided with a horizontal extension 5 vertically spaced above the corresponding central portion of the flat member 2. it should be noted that the vertical aperture means comprises aligned apertures 6 and 7 in the horizontal extension 5 and the underlying central portion of the member 2 (which, together comprise the bifurcated portion of the base member 1).

In the specific example illustrated, the opposite ends of the flat member 2 of the base means 1 are provided with substantially parallel depending end members 8 and 9, which will be described more fully hereinafter.

In the specific example illustrated, the spindle means is indicated generally at 10, and comprises a vertical shaft 11 carrying at its upper end, a manual actuating handle comprising a lateral crank arm 12 and a rotary manual gripping portion 13 carrying on the upstanding end of the crank arm 12 for manual rotation thereof. In the specific example illustrated, the open-end slot means is indicated at 14 at the bottom end of the shaft 11.

It should be understood that the device of the present invention may include stop means to effectively limit the vertical travel of the spindle with respect to the base means 1. In the specific example illustrated, this takes the form of small projections 15 carried by the exterior 'of the shaft 11 a short distance above the open-ended slot 14 so as to be positioned between the horizontal extension 5 and the underlying portion of the member 2 (which, together comprise the bifurcated portion of the base 1). The projections 15 are of such size as to be incapable of passing through either of the apertures 6 or 7, thereby effectively locking the spindle means in the position illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 for free rotative movement with respect to the base means but for limited vertical movement between the two extremes shown in Figs. 1 and 3 (or vice versa). It should be understood that, prior to assembly of the device, the shaft 11 does not have the projections 15-these are formed on the shaft 11 by pressure and/or impact after the spindle 11 and base means 1 are assembled. The arrangement above described is for the purpose of facilitating easy disengagement of a can opening strip which has been wound around a bottom portion of the shaft 14 during a can opening operation.

Also, generally speaking, at least one side of the base means 4 of the present invention, may be provided with effectively curvedly oriented (usually, substantially circularly curvedly oriented) engaging guide means positioned at spaced points along said side of said base means mo es? In one preferred general form of the present invention,

a first and a second side of the base means may be, respectively, provided with a first and a second set of differently curvedly oriented (usually, difierently, circularly, curvedly oriented) engaging guide means for slidable cooperation with respect to the curved projecting edges of cans of different sizes and/ or radii of curvature.

In the specific example illustrated, a first set of engaging means comprises similar grooves 16 and 17 positioned in the end members 8 and 9 on one side of the base means 1, and a centrally outwardly and downwardly projecting hook member 18 carried by the junction of the members 4 and 2. It will be noted, that the engaging means 16, 17 and 18 are spaced along one side of the base member 1 and substantially define a portion of a circle have a predetermined radius of curvature. The arrangement is such as to allow the device to effectively engage the edge 19 of a can (indicated generally at 20) by placing the central hook member 18 over said edge 19 of the can 20 with the notches or slots 16 and 17 in lateral engagement with said edge 19 of the can 20. When in this position, engagement of the slot 14 with the free end 21 of a can engaging strip 21A (as shown in Figs. 2 and 3) and subsequent rotation of the handle means 12 and 13, will cause the strip 21A to be wound around the lower end portions of the spindle shaft 11 immediately under the central portion of the flat member 2 and between the end members 8 and 9, which will cause the entire device (through the medium of the engaging means 16, 17 and 18) to ride around the upper periphery of the can 20 until the entire strip 21A has been wound around the lower end of the spindle shaft 11 and has been completely severed from the can wall 22, both above and below the sealing strip 21A, at which time the handle 12 and 13 can be moved upwardly with respect to the bifurcated portion 3 of the base 1 from the lower-most position illustrated, in Figs. 2 and 3, into the uppermost position illustrated in Fig. 1, which will effectively disengage the wound strip 21A from the lower end of the spindle shaft 11 and from the slot 14. In this connection, please note that, in reality, the spindle would be wound farther than shown in Fig. 1, before disengaging the slot 14 from the wound strip 21A. For reasons of clarity only, the spindle 10 (as shown in Fig. 1) is shown disengaged from the strip before completion of the can opening operation.

It will be noted that the above-described arrangement is such that the strip 21A is constrained to assume'a substantially planar horizontal spiral position during the winding thereof aroundthe lower end of the spindle shaft 11, thus overcoming the hereinabove-mentioned prior art disadvantages.

As hereinabove generally pointed out, a second engaging guide means, differently curvedly oriented from the first guide means mentioned above, may be carried by a second side of the base means. In the specific example illustrated, this second set of engaging guide means comprises grooves 23 and 24 and a centrally positioned outwardly and downwardly directed hook member 25 (all similar to the previously mentioned corresponding grooves and hook members 16, 17 and 18, which are carried by the opposite side of the flat member 2) and so arranged as to define a portion of a circle having a different radius of curvature from that defined by the first engaging means 16, 17 and 18. The arrangement is such that said second engaging means 23, 24 and 25 may cooperate with the projecting edge of a can of different size and/or difierent radius of curvature from the first edge 19mentioned hereinabove. Otherwise the operation of the second engaging guide means is similar to the first engaging guide means.

' Fig.-;5 illustrates a form of the present invention provided with wall mounting means. In the form shown, said wall mounting means comprises selectively effectively extendable and retractable wall mounting means. In this form of the invention, the wall mounting means comprises abase portion, indicated generally at 26, adapted to be fixedly mounted by suitable fastening means 27 (to a wall, not shown); and a supporting arm portion, indicated generally at 28, selectively movably cooperable with respect to th e base portion 26 for selective locking with respect thereto in a laterally extending position and for selective, eflective retraction with respect to said base portion from said laterally extending position.

In the specific example illustrated in Fig. 5, the means for movably mounting the supporting arm portion 28 with respect to the base portion 26 comprises angularly arranged slots 29 in similar laterally spaced walls 30 of the supporting arm 28; said angular slots 29 being adapted to receive a shouldered pivot pin 31'therein with a shoulder 32 immediately in front of the rear slot 29 (which is slightly'narrower than the front slot 29) adjacent the inside of the rear wall 30, the outer ends of pin 31 being adapted to extend through corresponding aligned holes 33 in corersponding laterally spaced walls 34 of the wall portion 26." The arrangement is such that when the supporting arm 28 is positioned with the pin 31 in the upper ends of the angular slots 29, with the rear portions of the side walls 30 of the supporting arm 28 resting against the flat central portion 35 of the wall portion 26, said supporting arm 28 will be locked in substantially horizontal extending position. However, when the supporting arm 28 is manually grasped and is slidably angularly translated upward and outward with respect to the pin 31 until said pin rests in the lower ends of the angular slots 29, the supporting arm 28 may then be downwardly pivoted with respect to said pin 31 into effective retracted position lying in substantially parallel depending relationship with respect to the wall portion 26 of the mounting means.

In the example illustrated, a corkscrew 36 is adapted to be pivotally mounted with respect to the rear end of the pin 31 on theinside of the rear wall 30 of the supporting arm 28 and abutted by shoulder 32 for pivotal movement with respect to the axis of said pin. Said corkscrew is adapted to be pivoted with respect to said pin into a position substantially entirely within the side walls 30 of the supporting arm 28 during periods of non-use. However, said corkscrew is also adapted to be pivoted, with respect to said pin, downwardly resiliently into detent means, effectively comprising a projection 37 in the inner side of the rear wall 30 and the adjacent stop or projection 38the arrangement being such that the shaft of the corkscrew may be resiliently held by said detent means in a downwardly and slightly outwardly projecting position for cork-removing use, when desired, and yet the entire corkscrew can be selectively, frictionally, resiliently swung upward into the non-operative position hereinabove-described, when desired.

The outer end of the supporting arm 28 carries (in the example illustrated, integrally carries) a can opener of the type illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4; and parts thereof, corresponding to those in said Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, will be indicated by the same reference numerals, primed however.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art, after a careful study hereof. All such properly within the basic spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included and comprehended herein as fully as if specifically described, illustrated and claimed herein.

For example, the base means (and/orthe bifurcated portion thereof) and/or the engaging guide means can be modified substantially.

The spindle means and the handle means can be substantially modified, as can the stop means for limiting the longitudinal travel of the spindle means.

While I contemplate making the device of steel (or the like) with certain operative portions thereof, hardened by suitable treatment, I do not limit the present invention to special material or treatment.

It should be noted that this application is a continuation in part of my parent co-pending patent application, Serial No. 287,269, filed May 12, 1952, now Patent No. 2,743,840.

The exact compositions, configurations, constructions, relative positionings, and cooperative relationships of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical, and can be modified substantially within the spirit of the present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention specifically described and illustrated herein are exemplary only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and the appended claims only, with due consideration for the doctrine of equivalents.

I claim:

1. An improved can opener for use in opening a can of the type which has a projecting upper edge and which is sealed by a weak tearable junction, with a substantially vertical wall of the can, of a substantially lateral sealing strip having a free engageable end, comprising: base means provided with an integral, vertically spacedly bifurcated portion adjacent the top and center region of said base means, said bifurcated portion being provided with substantially vertical aligned aperture means therein; substantially vertical spindle means carried in the substantially vertical aperture means for rotation and for limited vertical movement with respect to the base means; and stop means effectively carried by the spindle means within the bifurcated portion of the base means between the aligned aperture means and effectively cooperable with the said bifurcated portion to effectively limit relative vertical movement of the spindle means with respect to said bifurcated portion; said spindle means being provided with actuating handle means adjacent the top end thereof and longitudinal vertically oriented open-ended slot means adjacent the bottom end thereof and normally positioned below the aperture means and the bifurcated portion and cooperable to engage the free engaging end of a substantially lateral can-sealing strip, whereby the handle means can be forcibly rotated to remove the sealing strip from a can sealed thereby to wind said sealing strip around said spindle means, and whereby said sealing strip can be removed from engagement with said spindle means and said open-ended slot means therein by relative upward movement of said spindle means with respect to the aperture means in the bifurcated portion of the base means; a first side of said base means being etfectively substantially concavely curved and substantially having a first predetermined radius of curvature and being provided with a first set of engaging guide means positioned at spaced points along said substantially concavely curved first side of said base means for effective slidable cooperation with respect to the substantially convexly curved projecting edge of a can of a first pre determined size, whereby the substantially vertical spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to the lateral sealing strip and will effectively wind said sealing strip on the spindle means during the can opening operation in a spiral lying in a substantially horizontal plane; a second side of said base means being efiectively substantially concavely curved and substantially having a second predetermined radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature and being provided with a second set of engaging guide means positioned at spaced points along said second substantially concavely curved side of said base means for effective slidable cooperationwith'respect to the substantially convexly curved projecting edge of a can of a second predetermined size, whereby the substantially vertical spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to the lateral sealing strip and will effectively wind said sealing strip on the spindle means during the can opening operation in a spiral lying in a substantially horizontal plane. Y

2. An improved can opener for use in opening a can of the type which has a projecting upper edge and which is sealed by a weak tearable junction, with a substantially vertical wall of the can, of a substantially lateral sealing strip having a free engageable end, comprising: base means provided with an integral, vertically spacedly bifurcated portion adjacent the top and center region of said base means, said bifurcated portion being provided with substantially vertical aligned aperture means therein; substantially vertical spindle means carried in the substantially vertical aperture means for rotation and for limited vertical movement with respect to the base means; and stop means elfectively carried by the spindle means within the bifurcated portion of the base means between the aligned aperture means and effectively cooperable with the said bifurcated portion to effectively limit relative vertical movement of the spindle means with respect to said bifurcated portion; said spindle means being provided with actuating handle means adjacent the top end thereof and longitudinal vertically oriented open-ended slot means adjacent the bottom end thereof and normally positioned below the aperture means and the bifurcated portion and cooperable to engage the free engaging end of a substantially lateral can-sealing strip, whereby the handle means can be forcibly rotated to remove the sealing strip from a can sealed thereby to wind said sealing strip around said spindle means, and whereby said sealing strip can be removed from engagement with said spindle means and said open-ended slot means therein by relative upward movement of said spindle means with respect to the aperture means in the bifurcated portion of the base means; a first side of said base means being effectively substantially concavely curved and substantially having a first predetermined radius of curvature and being provided with a first set of engaging guide means positioned at spaced points along said substantially concavely curved first side of said base means for elfective slidable cooperation with respect to the substantially con 'vexly curved projecting edge of a can of a first predetermined size, whereby the substantially vertical spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to the lateral sealing strip and will effectively wind said sealing strip on the spindle means during the can opening operation in a spiral lying in a substantially horizontal plane; a second side of said base means being elfectively substantially concavely curved and substantially having a second predetermined radius of curvature different from the first radius of curvature and being provided with a second set of engaging guide means positioned at spaced points along said second substantially concavely curved side of said base means for effective slidable cooperation with respect to the substantially convexly curved projecting edge of a can of a second predetermined size, whereby the substantially vertical spindle means will be supported and carried in the proper can opening relationship with respect to the lateral sealing strip and will effectively wind said sealing strip on the spindle means during the can opening operation in a spiral lying in a substantially horizontal plane; and wall mounting means including a base portion adapted to be fixedly mounted with respect to a wall and a supporting arm portion selectively movably cooperable with respect to the base portion for selective locking with respect thereto in a laterally extended position and for selective effective retraction with respect to said base portion from said laterally extended position, said supporting arm being cooperable to mount adjacent its outer end, the base means with the aperture means therein sub stantially, vertically oriented when said supporting arm is in said laterally extending position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Dazey Dec. 13, 1938 Schluter Oct. 23, 1951 Taylor Dec. 11, 1951 Lyle Aug. 25, 1953 

